Jakarta (VNA) – Hundreds of motorbike driver partners for ride-hailing and delivery apps protested in Jakarta on August 29 to demand better work conditions and a firm legal standing.
The drivers who are partnering with Grab, Gojek, Maxim, Shopee and Lalamove in Jakarta and four satellite cities joined the rally at the Merdeka Palace in Gambir, the Gojek office in Petojo in Central Jakarta and then moved to the Grab office in Cilandak, South Jakarta.
They announced previously that they would not take any ride and delivery orders during the protest.
Leader of the Two-Wheeler Action Movement (Garda) advocacy group Igun Wicaksono said in a statement that 500 to 1,000 motorbike driver partners would attend the rally to demonstrate the solidarity of online motorbike drivers, who are “increasingly oppressed” by online delivery platforms amid the government’s failure to provide the proper legal framework to ensure drivers’ rights are fully protected.
He said until now, the legal status of online motorcycle taxis is still considered illegal without any legal standing in the form of a law.
Chairwoman of the Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI) Lily Pujiati said the drivers' protest aims to demand online platforms to meet the welfare of their partners. Such protests have been going on for a long time in many different cities.
According to Lily, the incomes of those drivers are decreasing due to the “price war” between platforms such as Gojek, Grab, Maxim, Shopee, Indrive, Lalamove, and Borzo. These platforms arbitrarily set low prices because they consider the relationship with the drivers as a partnership. As the results, the drivers lose their rights as workers.
She said the drivers are forced to work more than eight hours, making them suffer from fatigue and vulnerable to work-related accidents./.
